The premise of this webcomic is that it’s based on an unreleased theatrical film version of #Xena, opening in the summer of 2000, a direct sequel to season 5’s ender, “Motherhood.” Because of that, the story’s music had to have been released prior to that.
Most songs are from the 80s & 90s, the earliest from 1930, and the latest from January 2000. In comparison, “Lyre, Lyre , Hearts on Fire,” the show’s 2nd musical, featured songs from the 60s, while season 5’s “Antony and Cleopatra” featured a 90s song by Natalie Merchant.
Let’s talk about that song, “Carnival”! I think it’s the perfect song for the show’s sensibility, and harkens back to the show’s chief influence, the film “Black Orpheus”, set in Brazil’s Carnivale. It describes the experience of being swept up by the world’s illusions,
& glimpsing the possibility of a much larger one, perhaps viewed with a new wisdom & compassion. The lyrics describe “a wild-eyed misfit prophet on a traffic island stopped & he raved of saving me. Have I been blind, have I been lost inside myself, & my own mind, hypnotized, mesmerized by what my eyes have seen?” I think these lyrics are salient to the show’s journey of experience, and for me, the opening lyrics are especially pertinent:
“Well, I’ve walked these streets, A virtual stage, it seemed to me, makeup on their faces, actors took their places next to me.” To me, this is where Eve finds herself in this story, & the island of Cyprus is like a stage in which she takes on a new role.
I don’t use this song in this story, but we hear it in the episode right before “Looking Death in the Eye,” the beginning of the Twilight of the Gods arc, in which Eve’s destiny changes forever when she’s separated from her mothers & raised by Caesar’s manipulative court.
I’ve tried to look for as many details like this as I can in building this new addition to Xena’s story. I want to expand Xena’s world, but without any kind of retconning, or changing/deleting existing facts.
That said, I’ve tried to add as many new elements as possible, without altering the existing reality. Part of my agenda in writing this story is to expand our idea of what’s possible when thinking ahead to any future revivals. If we can dream it, they can be it!
This story introduces a number of things that have their roots in the earlier show. For example, Salmoneus has a history here that traces back to after “Hercules The Legendary Journeys” ends. I want to show flashbacks that fit the show’s format, so I made an addition to the past: HTLJ, in my alt history in which we have a year 2000 Xena movie, did not end 8 eps into season 6. It ran a full year, as a Herc-lite season (like 4th season), allowing time for Sal to have full arcs to himself to develop a backstory.
Since “Rock of Ages” has a nautical theme, I imagined a 7th season of HTLJ, with a new star, and crossover ties to a #Xena spinoff of its underwater fantasy ep, “Married With Fishsticks”. I imagined what it might look like, & will include a screencap or 2 of that as well.
It’s not necessary to the story that I imagine these things, but it’s a good way to loosen up creatively, and further develop the world of Xena while faithfully coloring outside its lines. One thing that I do strongly believe in, however, is a #Xena revival.
I very much agree with Lucy Lawless’s recent statements about a next generation-oriented revival, one that will allow the legacy cast to participate. By imagining all these additions to the past, I’m practicing imagining how a revival would also expand #Xena’s world.
Myself, I’m most excited about an Eve spinoff set 20 years later. I think it’s the perfect time for it, & having spent the last several years building the world of this story, I’m convinced it’s a worthy extension of #Xena’s magical world. I see no end to the possibilities.
Some folks will have to see it to believe it, so I’ve also tried to imagine exactly what such a series would look like. I’ve speculated on its twists & turns, & experimented with its look, & its crazy cast of characters, & how they tie in to the show’s aesthetic legacy.
Throughout this project, I’ll be occasionally posting
“Spoiler-free” images of how I envision an “Eve” spinoff. As I mentioned yesterday, Rob & R.J. had already planned a spinoff, so RenPic doesn’t need me to tell them how to do their job, but maybe the networks need someone to tell them (or their AI trendbots) what the audience wants to see. Here’s my vote! If it doesn’t work, then we’ll always have Cyprus!
Tomorrow, I’ll discuss the 1st part of this project, & post the 1st video.